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DV Cam signal?
Hello.
This is not really a stricly FCP question, but I’m sure you can answer.We just had a BETA transfer done at a house. We asked them to transfer it to DV Cam, but they’ve told us that they made a mistake and transfered it to Mini DV, “But it should be fine because it was done with a DV Cam signal.” Is this possible. Do I still pay them for the trasnfer? (I know there is such a thing as mini DV Cam…but this is not our situation…)
Thanks as usual.
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12 Replies
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MiniDV and DVCAM are the same…same signal at least. The only difference is that DVCAM runs thru the camera faster and is less prone to dropouts. what is 60 min on miniDV is 40 min on DVCAM.
Yes…pay them.
Shane
Alokut Productions
http://www.lfhd.net -
But only pay them 40/60 % of the price!
Graeme
– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP
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It’s not exactly the same. The quality is the same, but I think you end up with a mixed tape. DVCam has locked audio, while DV (or miniDV) does not. If you record DVCam onto a miniDV tape, you’ll get DVCam signal (faster tape speed, 40min instead of 60) but a miniDV audio signal, which is not locked. Locked and unlocked audio seem to be more important to linear editing.
Someone may fill in the fine details. But the bottom line is that it’s inconsequential, and your tapes will be just fine. I wouldn’t pay them as much though, in that they used tape stock that costs significantly less.
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A MiniDV tape in a DVCAM recorder will yield an identical result, although the tape formulation in a DVCAM Cassette is supposedly superior, and less prone to dropouts. It is also more expensive than miniDV cassettes.
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There is no such thing as a miniDV audio signal. Mini DV is a small DV cassette. “DV” has unlocked audio. “DVCAM” has locked Audio. DVCAM recorded on a DV tape is exactly the same as on a DVCAM tape,ony 40 min vs 60 min on a 60 min DV tape. DV tapes come in various sizes as do DVCAM tapes. There are miniDV and mini DVCAM cassettes as well as the full size.
KB
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I’d ask them to do it again.
You’re paying for a specific service and should get what you pay for.
MiniDV records with a 10um track pitch. DVCam records with a 15um track pitch and is much more resistant to minor tracking errors.
As someone else mentioned, it also features locked audio, which means there are precisely 48,000 audio samples per frame. MiniDV allows for slight variations in the number of samples per frame — either a few more or a few less — and that may or may not be a problem. In my experience with a Canon XL1s it’s never been an issue. Some say they’ve experienced serious audio sync drift problems but I’ve never seen this, even with long captures of nearly an hour.
Maybe they did record at DVCam speeds and just used a MiniDV tape. But I’d check it before handing over payment.
Dean Sensui — http://www.HawaiiGoesFishing.com
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yah, i’d just have them adjust the price to refelct the difference in tape stocks used. otiehr than that, is the same, and you’ll need a DVCAM deck to playback.
-ben
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FWIW, Mini DV does not necessarily mean unlocked audio. Some miniDV cameras do indeed have this feature. I shoot on a JVC GYDV-700W and this particular model does have locked audio capabilities. It even features a readout on the LCD display that notes that the audio is in fact locked at 48K.
Tom -
Hi,
I’m trying to print to tape (minidv) but I need to do it in DVCAM. I’m not having much luck with the manual and i can’t seem to figure out how to do this. There is no sequence setting for DVCAM and I don’t see it in the options under “Print to Tape”. How do I get a sequence that was done in DV NTSC 48khz to a minidv tape in dvcam?
I’m trying to submit this to access tv for someone and they require DVCAm. My deck is minidv only.
Thanks,
Neobe
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